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- Zimbabwe
- Ed Brand made a trip to Zimbabwe to meet with Dickson Dangirwa, who is supported by the church at Benchley.
- Zimbabwe has been known by many names over the years and has twelve official languages, including English.
- Zimbabwe used to be the breadbasket of Africa, but that is no longer the case. Food is now a concern. Most people eat a significant amount of grain and bread, but little protein. Dickson has his own wheat field that he is able to irrigate, but that is an unusual luxury.
- Culturally, men and women often sit separately in worship services and elsewhere.
- Church buildings are often posts with a tin roof.
- Where Dickson lives, there is no electricity or water service. He has solar panels that he uses to charge his phone.
- Travel is difficult because the region is mountainous and the roads up and down the mountain where Dickson lives are unpaved and extremely rocky. The roads are very rough on the vehicles.
40 min - Loving What We HaveIntroduction
- I Thessalonians 3:12
Loving our kids- Mark 9:33-37; 10:13-16 – Jesus loves children and blessed them.
- Deuteronomy 31:10-13 – It is important for children to hear the word of God and learn.
- Joshua 8:33-35 – The children were present for the reading of the law.
Loving our older folks- Titus 2:1-3
- Psalms 90:10; 92:12-15; 71:8-18 – Older folks can still bear fruit!
- Proverbs 16:31; 20:29
- Leviticus 19:32 – Respect your elders!
- I Timothy 5:1-2
- Ecclesiastes 12:1-5 – The difficulties of old age.
- II Samuel 19:31-39 – David’s treatment of Barzillai the Gileadite: Barzillai accepted his age gracefully and did what he could.
Loving our workers- Nehemiah 6:1-9, 15 – The determination of Nehemiah and the workers.
- II Corinthians 10:10 – Paul was criticized in his work.
- Luke 7:39 – Even Jesus was criticized in His work!
29 min - The New Testament Church, Part 4What is a local church, continued?When do you have local church action, continued?When all local church members act together?
- Not necessarily.
When all local church members act together in Christ?- Yes.
- I Timothy 5:16 – Caring for widows.
- Acts 4:32-5:4 – Once the money was in the common fund, that was something different than an individual’s own money.
- John 12:3-6 – The money belonged to the apostles, but Judas was setting some aside for himself.
- Matthew 18:15-17
- Philippians 2:25, 30; 4:14-18 – Epaphroditus did the work, but Paul attributed it to the church because Epaphroditus was doing it on their behalf.
- I Corinthians 11:17
- Philippians 1:27
Local churches are authorized to provide for the preaching of the gospelOverview of New Testament passages- Acts 11:21-23 – “they sent Barnabas”
- Acts 13:1-3 – “teachers … they sent them”
- Acts 14:26 – “commended … they began to report”
- Acts 15:1-3 – “sent on their way by the church”
- I Corinthians 9:1-18 – “get their living from the gospel”
- Acts 18:1-4
44 min - The Benefits of Knowing My PurposeIntroduction
- Luke 7:28-30 – The Pharisees rejected God’s purpose.
- II Timothy 3:10 – Timothy had seen Paul living with purpose.
- Matthew 6:33 – Seek God first.
- Matthew 16:26; 22:37-39
- Acts 17:26
- I Corinthians 10:31
Purpose gives me the correct way to view the world and make decisions- Joshua 24:14-15 – Joshua’s purpose was serving the Lord.
- I Peter 3:8-9
- I Thessalonians 4:3
- Many decisions are already decided for us if we have the right purpose.
Purpose allows me to fulfill my greatest potential- Matthew 1:21
- John 12:27 – Jesus knew His purpose and was prepared to fulfill His greatest potential.
- Philippians 1:21-24
- What’s the best way for me to live my life? What is my greatest potential?
- Acts 20:27 – Paul fulfilled His purpose with them.
- II Timothy 4:6-8
- I Corinthians 15:58
- I Peter 4:1
Purpose brings true joy to my life- Hebrews 12:2
- Philippians 3:5, 19-20; 4:4
33 min - ElijahElijahMajor events in Elijah’s life
- First mentioned in I Kings 17:1. Last mentioned in II Kings 10:17.
- Prophesied against Ahab and Ahaziah.
- I Kings 17:1 – famine
- I Kings 17:2-7 – fed by the ravens
- I Kings 17:8-24 – fed the widow and raised her son
- I Kings 18:19-19:3 – defeated the prophets of Baal and fled Jezebel
- I Kings 19:16-21 – chose Elisha to succeed him
- II Kings 2:1-12 – taken up to heaven. Elijah was one of only two people in the Bible to not experience physical death (Hebrews 11:5).
- Malachi 4:1-5 – At the very end of the Old Testament, Elijah’s name is mentioned again. John the Baptist was a parallel to John the Baptist.
Elijah’s impact- Elijah is mentioned during a relatively small part of the Old Testament, but he had a great impact, even in the New Testament.
- Luke 1:17 – See I Kings 18:39.
- Luke 4:25-26 – Reference to Elijah being sent to the widow in Sidon. God preserved her.
- James 5:17 – Elijah mentioned in reference to the power of prayer.
- Romans 11:4-5 – A remnant of faithful people remains. Compare I Kings 19:14-18.
- Matthew 11:7-14 – When Jesus talks about John the Baptist, we learn more about the determination of Elijah as well.
- Elijah was strong-willed in his determination to God. He demanded repentance and a return to God. He knew who should be punished for evil.
- What kind of lasting impact do we have on people? Is it for the better or worse?
Elijah encounters God- I Kings 19:9-13 – Elijah’s encounter with the Lord.
41 min - What Are We Looking For ... ?Introduction
- Matthew 3:4-5
- Matthew 11:8-9 – John the Baptist was more than a prophet. What would we have thought of him if we saw him?
… in Jesus?- John 6:13-15, 35, 45-51, 66-68 – “I am the bread of life.” Jesus said they had to receive Him.
- John 8:31-34
- Jesus was often misunderstood when He was on earth. Are we still misunderstanding Jesus?
- I Corinthians 6:9-11 – Do we realize we need Jesus for salvation?
- Revelation 5:12 – Jesus is the king!
… in a local church?- I Thessalonians 2:13, 14 – They knew the difference between the word of God and everything else.
- Am I looking for the word of God?
- I Thessalonians 5:11
- I Thessalonians 2:19
… in a career?- Ephesians 5:28-29 – Properly maintaining a marriage requires time.
- Ephesians 6:4 – Raising children takes time.
- Titus 2:4-5
- Proverbs 15:16-17
- Ecclesiastes 5:10
- Philippians 3:7-8
Conclusion- Colossians 3:1-2
28 min - The New Testament Church, Part 3What is a local church?There is a difference between an individual and a local church.
- Matthew 18:15-17 – Three different parties are involved here. One person, a few members, and the entirety of the local church (or a representative thereof).
- I Timothy 5:16
- Some say that whatever an individual has authority to do, a local church has authority to do, but …
- A letter being addressed to a church does not mean that everything in that letter pertains to collective church work.
- I Thessalonians 1; 4:11
- I Corinthians 1:2; 7:1-2
- I Timothy 1:2; 3:1-13; 5:16
- Titus 1:4-5
The Bible uses “church” as a collective noun.- Acts 8:1-3
- Acts 11:26 – “Church” talking about a plurality of disciples.
- Acts 14:26
- I Corinthians 1:2
- Philippians 1:1
- Hebrews 12:23
- Acts 2:41
Never does the Bible use the word “church” to collect congregations.- There is a difference between collecting congregations and collecting individuals.
- If the universal church is composed of congregations, that would mean you must be a member of a local church to be a member of the universal church.
When do you have a local church action?When a plurality of Christians act together?- Not necessarily.
- Acts 13:1-3
- I Corinthians 11:22, 34, 18
- Philippians 4:15
45 min - The Holy Spirit's Masterpiece
[Sorry, due to technical issues, the audio is not available for this lesson. -MRW]
Introduction- II Timothy 3:14-17
- John 14:16, 26
- John 15:26; 16:13
Precise- I Corinthians 2:10-13
- I Peter 1:10-12 – The prophets themselves were wondering about the full picture behind their message.
- The prophets’ job was to carry God’s message, even if they did not fully understand it.
- II Peter 1:20-21 – Men wrote the words provided by the Holy Spirit.
- Acts 2:39 (Ephesians 2:13) – The “far off” people were Gentiles. Peter did not understand this when he said it in Acts 2!
- John 11:49-52 – Caiaphas was an unwitting prophet of Jesus.
- Matthew 10:17-22
Personal- I Corinthians 1:4
- The Holy Spirit made it personal by sending His message through anyone.
- Psalm 6
- Ecclesiastes 1:1-4; 12:12-14 – Solomon’s story resonates with us.
- By using stories, God made His message much more powerful for us.
- II Samuel 12:1-7 – The Holy Spirit telling a story through Nathan the prophet broke through to David’s conscience.
- I Corinthians 10:6-11 – These stories were written for us!
Perceptive- Hebrews 4:12 – God’s word goes straight to our innermost being.
- Acts 2:37 – God’s word pierced their hearts.
- John 12:42-43
- God knows everything. We’re not hiding anything from Him!
- Luke 22:33
- I Samuel 13:12
0 min - DavidDavidTimeline
- I Samuel 16:1-13 – Appointed by Samuel
- I Samuel 16:14-23 – Serves Saul (age approximately 16-20)
- I Samuel 17 – Defeats Goliath
- I Samuel 21:10-15; 23 – Flees from Saul
- I Samuel 24:2-6 – Spares Saul
- II Samuel 2:1-5:5 – Becomes king (age 30)
- II Samuel 7 – Receives God’s covenant
- II Samuel 11 – Sins with Bathsheba
- II Samuel 15; 17:24-19:8 – Son Absalom rebels
- I Kings 2:10-11 – Dies (age 70)
I Samuel 13:14 – A man after God’s own heart- I Kings 15:3-5 – Example of how repentance of our sins can show a heart dedicated to God.
ActionRepentanceDavid cut the corner of Saul’s robe. I Samuel 24:4-7Conscience bothered him, swore to never lift his hand.Moving the ark, death of Uzzah. II Samuel 6Priests carried the ark.Adultery and murder of Uriah. II Samuel 12Immediate confession, great sorrow. II Samuel 12:13Unauthorized census. II Samuel 24Guilt, pleading, and worship to God. II Samuel 24:10, 17.Praise and devotion of David- I Chronicles 29:10-22
- I Chronicles 28 – David wants to build a house for the ark of the Lord’s covenant and a footstool for God.
- Solomon and every king after David was told to follow his example and were measured against David.
- Solomon – I Kings 3:14
- Jereboam – I Kings 14:7-8
- Abijam – I Kings 15:3
- Asa – I Kings 15:11
David and the church at CorinthEvil kings and the churches of GalatiaSinned against God, yet didn’t turn away from God or the gospel of Christ. I Corinthians 1:4Turned away from God to idols and turned to another gospel.David: I Samuel 13:14 “The Lord has found a man according to his heart.”Solomon: I Kings 11:9 “… his heart had turned away from Yahweh, the God of Israel”Church at Corinth: I Corinthians 1:4-9 “Eagerly wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.”Abijam: I Kings 15:3 “… not completely devoted to the Lord.”Churches of Galatia: Galatians 1:6 “…you are so quickly turning away from Him”Psalm 5140 min - Back to SchoolProverbs 13:20
- “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”
- Proverbs 1:10-16
- I Corinthians 5:6-8; 15:33
- Be aware of the danger of bad influences!
I Timothy 4:12- “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather … show yourself an example.”
- Acts 14:13, 19
- Timothy showed that young people can do well.
- Daniel 1:8 – “Daniel made up his mind …” Daniel was a young man, taken captive in a foreign land, but he decided to obey God.
- Daniel 2:17, 47 – Daniel influenced them, not the other way around.
- Daniel 4:8-9
- Daniel 5:18; 6:5, 10, 25 – Daniel had a reputation as a man of God and was called upon by several kings.
Conclusion- I John 2:1
25 min
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Just the gospel, plainly spoken. ScriptureStream compiles lessons presented at the Benchley church of Christ, located just north of Bryan, TX. Visit ScriptureStream.com for full notes on each lesson…
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